Identifying those at risk of developing complications from diabetes

Professor Sam El-Osta is part of a Danish-
Australian collaboration investigating diabetic
complications. See full story

Danish and Australian researchers are teaming up with the goal of better understanding the relationship between the risks for and actual development of complications arising from diabetes, including diabetic kidney disease (DKD).

“Our goal is to understand the burden, natural history and propensity of the Danish population, with or at risk of diabetes, to develop complications,” they say. “We want to outline the clinical, metabolic and epigenetic correlates of diseases in order ultimately to predict, treat and prevent diabetic kidney disease.” An important associated goal of the group is to find those patients with diabetic kidney disease who need more aggressive treatment. 

Researchers find a way to mend broken hearts

Prof Sam El-Osta's group has published research on how to
reverse damage caused in broken-heart syndrome. See study

A Monash University study has uncovered for the first time a way to prevent and reverse damage caused by broken-heart syndrome, also known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Using mouse models, the pre-clinical study published in the acclaimed journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, has shown the cardioprotective benefit of a drug called Suberanilohydroxamic acid, or SAHA, dramatically improved cardiac health and reversed the broken-heart. The landmark study used SAHA to target genes and is a world first for Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Monash researchers discover fainting disorder drug

Greg Page AM, the original 'Yellow Wiggle' who retired in 2006,
 suffers from POTS. Image: Medpage Today

Monash University researchers have revealed a novel therapy that corrects the mechanism in the body that's gone wrong in Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), the condition affecting the former lead singer of The Wiggles.

Central Clinical School (CCS) researchers led by Professor Sam El-Osta found how genes that protect against POTS become silent or ‘switched off’ – and identified a drug to switch them on again.

International collaboration to investigate diabetes epigenetics

L-R: Professor Mark Cooper (Monash), Professor Stephen Jane 
(Monash), Professor Paul Zimmet (Monash), Mr Sami Sagol,
Professor Naftali Stern (Director of Endocrinology,Tel Aviv
Medical Center), Dr Tamar Shahal, Prof Sam El-Osta (Monash)

A new Israel-Australia research centre involving a major collaboration with Monash University was officially launched 5 September 2018 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The Sagol Center for Epigenetics of Metabolism and Aging cements the relationship between Monash University and the Tel Aviv Medical Center, Israel’s largest health institution, where the centre will be based. The initiative was made possible by the generosity of the Sagol family in Israel and is the vision of philanthropist Sami Sagol.

Spotlight on our NHMRC Fellowship winners: Professor Sam El-Osta

Professor Sam El-Osta
Department of Diabetes, CCS

by Anne Crawford

Professor Sam El-Osta. Senior Research Fellowship: characterise novel epigenetic mechanisms and the exact nature of ‘metabolic memory’ at sites of diabetic complications.

Professor El-Osta’s Fellowship project is building on his previous exciting findings about epigenetic modifications – the chemical changes that modify DNA – and will target genes that are implicated in diabetic nephropathy and atherosclerosis.